Conformable screen, shape memory structure and method of making the same

ABSTRACT

A shape memory structure includes, an elastic material, and a viscoelastic material commingled with the elastic material. The shape memory structure is reformable from a first shape to a second shape upon exposure to a change in environment that softens the viscoelastic material thereby allowing the shape memory structure to creep under stress stored in the elastic material.

BACKGROUND

Filtering contaminates from flowing fluids is a common exercise insystems involved in transportation of fluids. Many such systems employscreens as the filtering mechanism. Screens that expand to substantiallyfill an annular gap, for example, between concentric tubulars, isanother common practice. Some of these systems use swaging equipment toradially expand the screen. Although such equipment serves its purposeit has limitations, including a limited amount of potential expansion,complex and costly equipment and an inability to expand to fill anonsymmetrical space. Apparatuses that overcome these and otherlimitations with existing systems are therefore desirable to operatorsin the field.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein is a shape memory structure. The structure includes, anelastic material, and a viscoelastic material commingled with theelastic material. The shape memory structure is reformable from a firstshape to a second shape upon exposure to a change in environment thatsoftens the viscoelastic material thereby allowing the shape memorystructure to creep under stress stored in the elastic material.

Further disclosed herein is a conformable screen. The screen includes, astructure having, an elastic material and a viscoelastic materialcommingled with the elastic material, a filter material, and a permeabletubular. The structure is reformable from a first shape to a secondshape upon exposure to a first environment that softens the viscoelasticmaterial to thereby allow the structure to creep under stress stored inthe elastic material. The filter material is positioned within thestructure and is compressible such that the filter material ismaintained in a smaller volume when the structure is in the first shapethan when the structure is in the second shape. The permeable tubular isin operable communication with the structure such that fluid flowablethrough one of the filter material and permeable tubular aresubsequently flowable through the other of the filter material and thepermeable tubular

Further disclosed herein is a method of making a shape memory structure.The method includes, commingling elastic material with viscoelasticmaterial, and forming a structure with the commingled materials.Altering a shape of the structure, altering an environment the structureis exposed to, to lock in the altered shape of the structure viahardening of the viscoelastic material until the structure is exposed toanother environment that softens the viscoelastic material.

Further disclosed herein is a method of making a conformable screen. Themethod includes, commingling elastic material with viscoelasticmaterial, forming a structure with the commingled materials, surroundinga permeable tubular with the structure, and positioning filter materialwithin the structure. The method further includes, compacting thestructure and the filter material into a compaction and altering anenvironment the compaction is exposed to, to maintain a volume of thecompaction until the compaction is exposed to another environment

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way.With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numberedalike:

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a conformable screen disclosedherein;

FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of the conformable screen of FIG. 1with the filter material removed in an un-compacted configuration;

FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of the conformable screen of FIG. 2 ina compacted configuration;

FIG. 4 depicts a partial cross sectional view of the conformable screenof FIG. 2 with the filter material present;

FIG. 5 depicts a partial cross sectional view of the conformable screenof FIG. 3 with the filter material present; and

FIG. 6 depicts a schematic view of commingled fibers of elastic andviscoelastic materials disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosedapparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification andnot limitation with reference to the Figures.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, an embodiment of a conformable screen disclosedherein is illustrated at 10. The conformable screen 10 includes astructure 14 made of at least two commingled materials, an elasticmaterial 18 and a viscoelastic material 22 (shown in greater detail inFIG. 6). The structure 14, illustrated herein as a facetted structure,is reformable from a first shape, or compaction (as shown in FIGS. 3 and5) to a second shape (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4) upon exposure to anenvironment that softens the viscoelastic material 22 thereby allowingthe facetted structure 14 to creep under stress stored in the elasticmaterial 18. The conformable screen 10 further includes a filtermaterial 26 positioned within the facetted structure 14. The filtermaterial 26 may have a mat or foam structure, such as a polyester fiberbatting or an open-cell polyurethane form, for example, althoughembodiments are not limited to these structures. The filter material 26is volumetrically compactable or compressible and once compacted can bemaintained at a smaller volume until allowed to return to itsun-compacted larger volume. The filter material 26, being positionedwithin the facetted structure 14, can be maintained in the compactedcondition by the facetted structure 14. The facetted structure 14 andthe filter material 26 are positioned radially of a permeable tubularillustrated in this embodiment as a perforated tubular 30 of theconformable screen 10. As such, fluid is able to flow throughperforations 34 in the perforated tubular 30 after flowing through thefilter material 26, and being filtered in the process. Alternately,fluid flowing in a reverse direction could flow through the filtermaterial 26 after flowing through the perforations 34.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 4 and 5, the conformable screen 10 isshown employed in a borehole 38 in an earth formation 42 such as whenused in a hydrocarbon recovery application or a carbon dioxidesequestration application, for example. The conformable screen 10 is runinto the borehole 38 when in the first shape, or compaction, wherein thefacetted structure 14 is hardened and maintains the filter material 26in the smaller volume configuration. The conformable screen 10 has afirst radial dimension 46 when in the first shape and a second radialdimension 50 when in the second shape. The first radial dimension 46 issmaller than the second radial dimension 50, thereby providing radialclearance between the conformable screen 10 and the borehole 38 whilerunning the conformable screen 10 therewithin. Once the conformablescreen 10 is positioned at a selected location within the borehole 38,exposure of the conformable screen 10, and more particularly of thefacetted structure 14, to an alternate environment causes a softening ofthe viscoelastic material 22 thereby allowing stresses within theelastic material 18 to cause the facetted structure 14 to change fromthe first shape to the second shape (it should be noted that, althoughnot required, the filter material can also provide loads that assist inreturning the facetted structure 14 from the first shape to the secondshape). In so doing the conformable screen 10 undergoes a change fromthe first radial dimension 46 toward the second radial dimension 50resulting in contact between the filter material 26 and walls 54 of theborehole 38 in the process. The contact between the filter material 26and the walls 54 minimizes or eliminates annular clearance 58therebetween and erosion that could result due to fluid flow if theannular clearance 58 were allowed to exist. The contact between thefilter material 26 and the walls 54 also provides support to the walls54 lessening the potential for undesirable conditions such as collapsesand voids in the formation 42, for example.

Referring to FIG. 6, an embodiment illustrating how the elastic material18 and the viscoelastic material 22 may be commingled is illustrated. Inthis embodiment the elastic material 18 and the viscoelastic material 22are formed into fibers 62 or fibrils such that the fibers 62 of theviscoelastic material 22 effectively surround the fibers 62 of theelastic material 18. The commingled fibers 62 are formed into thefacetted structure 14. The elastic material 18 has different chemical,mechanical and structural characteristics to provide the facettedstructure 14 with the shape memory properties described above. Theelastic material 18 may be one of aramid, glass, boron, basalt, carbon,graphite, quartz, liquid crystal polymer, aluminum, titanium and steel,for example that has a relatively high modulus to provide structure andmemory of the original shape to the facetted structure 14.

The viscoelastic material 22 on the other hand may be a thermoplasticpolymer such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK), for example, that meltsaround the fibers 62 of the elastic material 14 during fabrication. Theviscoelastic material 22 provides the capacity to be softened in someenvironments and hardened in others. In the example of the thermoplasticpolymer for the viscoelastic material 22 temperature is the changeableenvironment. As such, heating will soften the viscoelastic material 22allowing it to creep under loads such as compaction loads applied tocause the facetted structure 14 to be reshaped from the second shape tothe first shape. Cooling of the facetted structure 14 allows theviscoelastic material 22 to harden and lock in the first shape until theenvironment (temperature) is increased to again soften the viscoelasticmaterial 22 thereby allowing it to again creep under load. Byconfiguring the facetted structure 14 and in particular the elasticmaterial 18 therewithin to undergo only elastic deformation whenreshaped from the second shape to the first shape, the elastic material18 will maintain a load on the viscoelastic material 22 all the whilethat the structure is locked in the first shape. It is this stresslocked in the elastic material 18 that allows the facetted structure 14to creep back from the first shape to the second shape once theviscoelastic material 22 has again been softened by the increase intemperature.

Although the embodiment illustrated herein employs a thermoplasticpolymer as the viscoelastic material 22 that hardens and then softens inresponse to changes in temperature, alternate embodiments could beemployed that use other changes in environment to cause the viscoelasticmaterial 22 to harden and soften. Examples include materials thatrespond to changes in humidity and changes in available plasticizers.

While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplaryembodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in theart that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substitutedfor elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention.In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particularsituation or material to the teachings of the invention withoutdeparting from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intendedthat the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosedas the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but thatthe invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope ofthe claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have beendisclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specificterms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in ageneric and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation,the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, theuse of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order orimportance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used todistinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the termsa, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denotethe presence of at least one of the referenced item.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A shape memory structure, comprising: anelastic material; and a viscoelastic material commingled with theelastic material, the shape memory structure being reformable from afirst shape to a second shape upon exposure to a change in environmentthat softens the viscoelastic material thereby allowing the shape memorystructure to creep under stress stored in the elastic material, and theshape memory structure being configured to maintain a filter material,not being one of the elastic material or the viscoelastic material, in asmaller volume when in the first shape than when in the second shape. 2.The shape memory structure of claim 1, wherein the stress stored in theelastic material is generated in the elastic material by a mechanicalload and maintained therein by the viscoelastic material being exposedto a change in environment that hardens the viscoelastic materialthereby preventing the shape memory structure from creeping under thestress stored in the elastic material.
 3. The shape memory structure ofclaim 1, wherein the elastic material is from the group consisting ofaramid, glass, boron, basalt, carbon, graphite, quartz, liquid crystalpolymer, aluminum, titanium and steel.
 4. The shape memory structure ofclaim 1, wherein the viscoelastic material is a polymer.
 5. The shapememory structure of claim 1, wherein the viscoelastic material ispolyether ether ketone.
 6. The shape memory structure of claim 1,wherein at least one of the viscoelastic material and the elasticmaterial is in the form of a fiber.
 7. The shape memory structure ofclaim 1, wherein the shape memory structure is formed into a facettedstructure.
 8. The shape memory structure of claim 1, wherein the changein environment includes at least one of a change in temperature, achange in humidity and a change in plasticizer.
 9. The shape memorystructure of claim 7, wherein the filter material urges the shape memorystructure from the first shape toward the second shape.
 10. The shapememory structure of claim 1, wherein the filter material has a foamstructure.
 11. The shape memory structure of claim 7, wherein thefacetted structure has a tubular shape.
 12. The shape memory structureof claim 11, wherein the second shape has a larger radial dimension thanthe first shape.